Your day should always start with a healthy breakfast. When you wake up, in fact, your body needs energy to work well, at least until lunch break.
Even though everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal, hurry, laziness or habit lead too many people to only have a coffee or little more before starting the day.
It has been proven that skipping breakfast exposes the body to many risks and issues. Thanks to Doctor Manuela Pastore, dietitian at Humanitas, we now have five reasons why it is important to have breakfast.
The body needs energy
Just like a car needs fuel to start, the body needs energy to start the day and tackle all the activities, especially after the long rest one has during the night. Without “fuel”, our muscles and also the brain can’t work properly.
A good source of vitamins and minerals
Yogurt, cereals, fresh fruit, dried fruit, jam, honey, bread or bran rusks are necessary foods in a healthy breakfast. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, fibers and antioxidants, that give the right amount of energy for the morning, make satiety last longer and do not wear out the digestive system. In addition to this, they enhance physical resistance, the attention span and memory.
It helps you eat less during the day
Skipping breakfast is not the best way neither to stay in shape nor to be on a diet. In fact, by mid-morning you will feel the classic “pit in your stomach” and you will crave every kind of snack, both sweet and savoury.
Moreover, by lunch time you will be hungry and will eat more than necessary, wearing out your digestion with consequent loss of attention and production in the afternoon.
A study has shown that those who skip breakfast eat more during the day and gain almost three kilograms per year.
Breakfast protects your heart
A good breakfast contributes to reducing the risk of chronic and degenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes. One of the main reasons depends on the fact that, by eating the right way in the morning, you will avoid eating caloric foods that are rich in fats (especially saturated ones, that are dangerous for the health of the cardiovascular system).
Without breakfast, the metabolism slows down
It has been proven that a healthy, nutritious breakfast contributes to stimulating and accelerating the metabolism. Eating in the morning is energizing and helps burning calories during the day. On the contrary, especially if you are on a diet, skipping breakfast may trigger metabolic mechanisms that hinder weight loss.
In fact, dietitians advise to divide the day based on the three main meals, starting from breakfast, and to add little snacks if necessary according to your needs and personal requirements.
